Violent teen epic is spared by the censor

The smash-hit Hunger Games has been left uncut and gets a 12A rating

IT’S the ultra-violent action film that has been dubbed the new Twilight. But despite its teenager-on-teenager violence, The Hunger Games has been given a 12A rating in Ireland with no cuts. To obtain the same rating in the UK, the film underwent several cuts and some of the more graphic scenes were edited.

The movie, based on the first in a trilogy of popular novels for young adults, is set in a dystopian world where a group of teenagers must fight each other to the death for the amusement of their rulers.

The Irish Film Classification Office (Ifco), traditionally considered more conservative than its British equivalent, received a cut and uncut version from Lionsgate, the film’s distributor. It passed both versions with a 12A certificate. This means that people aged 12 and over can attend the film unaccompanied. Younger children can also see the film but only accompanied by an